The old Danish proverb proved true.
Ben and I packed up the trailer, had a lovely walk around Lake Lily and through the arboretum and then had a leisurely lunch at the cafe overlooking the lake. My friend, Vita, had planned to meet us after lunch and drive us to her house. Plans changed when long awaited contractors appeared out of the blue, so with a couple of phone calls to clarify the route, we headed to her home in Jemseg.
There are a lot of trees in New Brunswick. Miles. We drove through them an hour and a half almost without seeing a structure. And as they say, it was just the tip of the forest.
Vita was a professor at NC State when I met her. I was privileged to take her Jacquard weaving class.
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| Grand Lake from Vita's Living Room |
When she and her husband returned to their lovely home on Grand Lake, we stayed in touch. A return to weaving has been on my heart for some time and was a big motivator in my choice to retire. I was hoping to find some inspiration in speaking with her and I was not disappointed.
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| Vita & Ben at play |
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| Shy Luka |
Their home overlooks Grand Lake. The lake is 32 miles long and capable of extraordinary weather. This spring, they were inundated with rain and faced floodwaters 12 feet higher than normal. It threatened the foundation of their home. When we arrived, they were working to raise and extend an existing stone barricade and also installing a higher barricade behind it. With the help of friends, they had moved an enormous amount of rock into wire cages that act as a filter to let the floodwaters move through yet retain the soil. She also talked about hurricane force winds and water spouts that took out trees and damaged property around them. When I say they were working on the barricades, I mean that Vita and her husband, John, were placing the rocks--into two barricades 65' long, about 3' wide and 3-4' tall--themselves. So I think they were just a little glad to take a break.
We were also thrilled to see Luka, their Standard Poodle who attended our barn raising back in 2009. While he wouldn't pose for the camera, he was as friendly and handsome as ever.
After catching up on the news, Vita wanted to show us the village of Gagetown and a community project dear to her heart. There has been a tradition of tartan weaving in Gagetown. The Loomcrofters house is a 1761 British munitions building that has been moved and repurposed several times. It houses several looms and a cache of yarns. As the town's weavers have died off, Vita is teaching local students the craft. We enjoyed several of the town's historic buildings including the 1835 courthouse and the home of one of the Fathers of the Canadian Federation.
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| Courthouse |
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| The Tilley Home--A Father of the Confederation |
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| Village of Gagetown |
After the tour, she and John fixed us a lovely supper and we chatted into the evening. As if reviving the friendship weren't enough, she has me feeling ready to weave again and I am grateful.
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